


Transcend

by Kizumess



Category: Iconoclasts (Video Game)
Genre: Body Horror, Gen, Melting - freeform, Panic Attacks, Pre-Canon, nobody has a good time, nothing graphic at all don’t worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21729199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kizumess/pseuds/Kizumess
Summary: “ACCESS CONFIRMED,” comes an electronic voice from the panel. “PROCEED WITH CAUTION.”With a hiss, the doors open and two soldiers armed with guns step forward. Though the tinted glass of their helmets prevents me from seeing their faces, I know that they’re looking at me. And why wouldn’t they be? I stick out like a sore thumb in this place. A normal civilian like me should have no place inside the One Concern. Yet they motion for me to come forward.
Kudos: 15





	Transcend

Why did I agree to this?

The masked men guiding me smell of chemicals and copper. It is an incredibly unpleasant scent that makes my stomach turn and my mind reach to dark places for an explanation of the source. Nonetheless, I keep my hands by my sides and my head up high. They chatter excitedly about strange scientific terms that I am unfamiliar with, gesturing wildly and cracking jokes all the while. If this whole scenario wasn’t so ominous and I wasn’t being escorted by strange men in masks and lab coats, then I’d probably be excited too. Not many people get chosen to “ascend” and become something greater, I still don’t get why I was chosen in the first place.

But I agreed to this. So here I am.

After what feels like hours of being guided down long hallways and taking elevator after elevator, we arrive at our apparent destination. Large metal doors with the words ‘RESTRICTED ACCESS’ emblazoned on them stand at the end of the hall.  


“You,” one of the men barks, turning to face me. “stay here and don’t move, understood?”  


I nod quickly in response, a chill running up my spine from the sudden and intense change in demeanor. I watch silently as he continues down the hall, stopping to swiftly enter some password on a panel near the doors. A loud electronic chime sounds from the panel and I jump at the noise. I can hear the remaining men snicker as I regain my composure and take a deep breath. He is too far away to hear clearly but the man at the panel is now bent down closer to the screen, speaking in a hushed voice.

“ACCESS CONFIRMED,” comes an electronic voice from the panel. “PROCEED WITH CAUTION.”  


With a hiss, the doors open, and two soldiers armed with guns step forward. Though the tinted glass of their helmets prevents me from seeing their faces, I know that they’re looking at me. And why wouldn’t they be? I stick out like a sore thumb in this place. A normal civilian like me should have no place inside the One Concern. Yet they motion for me to come forward. When I step towards them, the men who had escorted me all this way fall back. When I know that they aren’t coming with me it gets harder to walk forward, as if my resolve stayed behind with them. However, the two soldiers take their place as I approach the open doors.

The room is smaller than I’d expected and there are more of those people in lab coats and masks in here. I guess they’re probably scientists given the way they dress, but why are there so many of them?

“Excuse me, you’re Madelyn Binoche, correct?”  
“Y-yeah, that’s me.” I cringe inwardly as my voice cracks. 

Why am I doing this? I’m going to die here. But it’s all for the greater good-  


“You got the pre-ascension jitters, huh?” The scientist laughs behind his mask. “Don’t worry miss, everyone who comes through here nearly freezes on the spot! You’ll be just fine, just follow me.”  


Admittedly I can’t do much for a moment besides stand there fighting back my own fearful thoughts. But something made me go along with this, and it’s way too late to back out now anyway.

So I follow.

Some of the other scientists have noticed me. I don’t like the way they stare, even if I can’t see their eyes; it still feels weird to know I’m being watched. There’s a whole bunch of them standing around these weird machines. I have no idea what half of these things are even for, let alone what functions they perform.  
As I’m distracted, the scientist I’ve been following blindly comes to a halt and I nearly bump into him.

“Here you are, miss.” He whisks a curtain aside with a flourish and bows slightly at the waist. I peer into the small room that had been behind the curtain with curiosity. It appears to be a changing room.  
“I’m sorry, I don’t underst-“  
“Please remove your outer garments and leave them in the changing room.” With that, the scientist walks away and I’m left alone with an ever-rising feeling of discomfort.  


Now undressed, I feel even more uncomfortable in this strange place. I can feel my heart beating faster, trying to break free from my ribcage, ready to burst from my chest.

“Are you alright in there?” The scientist has apparently returned and I nearly jump out of my skin at his voice.  
“I-I-I’ll be out in a moment!” I stutter, nervously glancing at the thin curtain that divides us. 

With a deep breath, I pull the curtain aside. I’ve never felt so embarrassed; humiliation washes over me as I stand here exposed, save for my undergarments. I can feel my face growing warm and I anxiously pull at my auburn hair while trying to stay decent.  


“Right this way, miss.” The scientist chirps before he’s off again. 

I scurry after him, trying to ignore how cold the linoleum is on my bare feet. That’s it, isn’t it? The Transcender. It’s much... gaudier than I’d expected it to be, all purple and grey. There are wires and tubing everywhere with a bright purple statue of a winged woman wearing a triangular helmet, like the Corners’, standing above it to top it off. I know that this is divine property; something that very few people are ever allowed near. But seeing one up close like this... it almost feels fake. Still, I can’t deny the mixture of fear and excitement raging within me.

Yes, that’s right. That’s a Transcender. _I’m_ standing before a Transcender. _I’m_ about to _enter_ a Transcender. If anything, I should be proud right now. But then why does the thought put a sour taste in my mouth? My legs are trembling and I can’t even tell if it’s from the nerves or the joyously delusional excitement that I’m feeling.

The entire room falls eerily silent around me as I step closer to the machine. The only sounds left are the clicking of the scientist’s heels and the soft padding of my bare feet as we take what feels like an eternity to walk a few feet forward. My heart is hammering away in my chest and I can hear blood rushing in my ears. My palms are sweaty and my mouth has gone dry. The mounting strenuousness of the simple action makes me want to vomit.  


Before I realize it, I’m there. Already standing before the Transcender. A scientist stands to the right of it and a Progenarian to the left. The scientist’s hands skillfully flitting to and fro on a panel connected to the giant machine. A lid lifts up from it with a loud hiss, revealing the empty interior of the Transcender.

“Oh great and wonderful He,” the Progenarian begins speaking with his head bowed in prayer. “on this day we offer You this young woman. May You mold her in Your image as You see fit and cast aside any impurities. Strip this woman of her mortality and welcome her in transcendence. Let the ivory birth her anew, whether it be here as Your prophet, or up above as something holier in death.”  


The thundering applause following the Progenarian’s words rings in my ears. Is it really okay for me to be this excited? Is it okay for me to be excited at all? Well, this is really all I have going for me at this point anyway. I chose to be here; I made my decision. So it’s only right for me to feel excited. Who the hell knows, maybe I’ll even survive.  


The crowd parts ways and a path is laid before me. I do my best to steel my nerves and take a deep breath.  


And walk forward.

The bright lights reflected off of the Transcender hurt my eyes and I try my best not to wince. The winged statue standing above the machine stares down at me as if to judge me. I cast my glance downward and cautiously step into the machine. The metal is freezing cold against my bare skin and I shiver as I turn around to lay in the hollow. A loud metallic sound causes me to jump a bit before I realize it’s the door closing in front of me. A small window in the shape of an inverted triangle quickly becomes my only source of light as the door is sealed tightly shut. I find myself clenching my fists and my toes curling inward. I can’t move much and there’s not really anything I can do now even if I could. There’s some weird gurgling sound coming from all around me and I know what’s coming. I feel something cold and wet pooling at my feet. The ivory. I can feel it pouring in all around me. A cold, viscous liquid slowly enveloping me. I can feel it rising higher and higher. I know it will reach my head at some point, but something else is bothering me. The parts of my body that have already been submerged... they tingle? No, it almost feels like a burning sensation. I vaguely remember hearing that this was supposed to happen at some point, but I never expected it to _hurt_.

The way it stings my skin makes me feel like I’m in a bath of acid and it isn’t long before it spreads through my veins.  
“H-help...” I choke out pathetically. “Somebody open this thing! I-it hurts!”  


Tears well up in my eyes and threaten to overflow. The pain just keeps... getting worse. It feels like I’m being ripped apart from the inside out. Like... like my lungs are filling with poison. It itches. It itches so much! Why can’t I move?! It burns! It HURTS! ANYONE—

“-ey she m— it!”  
“—at?!”  
“Come —ickly!”  


I can hear muffled voices... what are they talking about? Ugh, my head is killing me, but my curiosity has me on edge. I squint, peering through the small window in front of me.  


“Holy crap!”  
“Why isn’t her hair white?”  
“What’s going on?”

...Are they talking about me? Why are these guys so close? Where am I anyway? Looking around my dark surroundings doesn’t seem to help jog my memory. All I know is that it smells weird, my head hurts, and something doesn’t feel right...  


I must’ve been too caught up in my own thoughts to know what was going on because before I can register what’s happening, the wall in front of me peels away and I’m hit with a cold blast of air. It’s too bright. The light hurts my eyes. I raise an arm to shield myself from the fluorescent lights overhead.  


Except that doesn’t happen.

“...What happened to her arms?”  


I lay motionless in this hollow chamber. My mind is racing and I feel sick. _What happened to my arms?_  
I slowly lift my head and look down at where my arms should be resting. Only... there’s nothing there. They’re just gone. They’re gone.  
What happened to my arms?

“Oh, you’re awake?”  


A man is standing over me. Who is he? Why is he wearing that mask? Oh, that’s right. Scientists.  


“Bet you’re pretty confused what with all that happened to ya. Even the best of us are still stumped! But hey, ya made it through!”  
“Made it... through?” I parrot his words, trying to piece together the jumbled up mess in my brain.  
“Well yeah, ya survived transcendence, and not just anyone can do that!”  
My eyes widen at his words and my heart leaps up into my throat. “I _what?!_ ”  
“Hey, hey! Calm down missy, can’t have ya getting all riled up now in this state.” He turns his back to me and lifts something from a nearby workbench. “At least let me put your arms on first.”


End file.
